Cost & financial aid brief
Amherst College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Amherst College cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 73% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a reduction of $64,273 from the sticker price. The pattern across income bands is steep.
The lowest-income band averages $1,086 while the highest band averages $47,521, a spread of $46,435. The lower bands see the published cost nearly erased, while the highest band pays a figure closer to the sticker price.
The pricing structure here means the net cost is higher for families with more income, concentrating the largest aid offsets on the lowest-income families.
The published cost of attendance at Amherst College is $87,640 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the college #627 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $1,086, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $17,478, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $47,521. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $46,435.
Aid covers about 73% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the for first-time full-time aid recipients to $23,367. That is $1,020 above the median of $22,347 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $13,740 in federal student loans, $11,260 below the peer median of $25,000. About 50.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $47,598 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $156 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Amherst College, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $79,243 four years after completing a degree. That is $23,328 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size), which is $55,915.
Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that earnings figure is at the 88th percentile. Graduates earn about $14,494 less than expects for similar students.
That gap lands at the 9th percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a wide range.
The downside earnings scenario is $55,935, the typical scenario is $79,243, and the upside scenario is $138,381. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $13,740 in federal loans, $11,260 below the peer median.
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $156 a month. That debt sits below the peer median, while earnings are above the peer median but below the model's expectation.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $47,598. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $156 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $47,598
- Estimated parent payment
- $605/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $13,740
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $47,598
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $156/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $605/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $761/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $79,243, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
3.3% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.